


Hitch A Ride

by olddarkmachine



Series: 12 Days of ODM [6]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hitchhiking, It Happened One Night AU, hotel empire heiress levy, journalist gajeel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-13 23:46:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12995151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olddarkmachine/pseuds/olddarkmachine
Summary: “You seem to be lost,” Gajeel said casually, his tone as flippant as he could make it as he led her carefully towards his inevitable victory.“Lost?”“I mean, I never thought I’d ever see a McGarden at a bus station.” All of the color drained from her face as her eyes widened, staring at the journalist as her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.Checkmate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to: [@bluuesparrow](bluuesparrow.tumblr.com)
> 
> Prompt: Gajevy It Happened One Night AU

Gajeel’s lungs started to burn with the breath he’d been holding in an attempt to focus on anything else beside the inevitable loss of his job, and the dingy surrounding of the bus depot. He’d been sitting in the station for longer than he cared to admit, mind set on the measly $100 left in his bank account and the ultimatum from his editor to either “get out of this writing rut of his” or “find his ass another job.” 

 

The first option, was easier said than done.

 

The second option, wasn’t an option at all.

 

Gajeel had worked too hard to get to his position as chief news writer at Fiore Timesto just “find another job.” 

 

So, he did what any sensible, nearly broke and nearly fired journalist would do and headed down to the depot to think. Some of his best stories had come from the downtrodden and lost drawn to the place of escape. Hidden deep beneath the cracked exteriors of the hopeless was often times a treasure trove just waiting for Gajeel to write about.

 

Except, apparently right now when he needed it, as the only other person there was the unamused, spotted teenager selling tickets. 

 

The breath left his mouth in an angry huff as it finally escaped, the sound of it not even enough to make the ticket seller look up from his phone as he popped his gum. He had been there for the better part of an hour, only successful in making himself more annoyed the longer he sat there and heard the sharp pops of the teen’s bubbles. 

 

“Could ya stop—“ he started to say, voice slightly angrier than necessary in the situation before it was cut off by the chime of the bell above the door. A petite woman stood in the doorway, her chest heaving and the slick sheen of sweat across her forehead shining under the fluorescent lights of the bus station.

 

She looked… tired.

 

He watched as her eyes lit up as she looked at the expanse of empty chairs before her, a small chirp of happiness escaping her as she dropped into the seat nearest to the door. Delicate hands fluttered over the strands of blue hair that had been whipped free of the headband holding the rest back from her face as she tried vainly to contain it again. The yellow of her blouse was bright in the otherwise drab room, its coloring playing up the azure highlights of her hair as if she was a slice of the sunlit sky.

 

From where he sat, he watched the way her breathing steadied as she collected herself. Just from the few moments she had been in the bus station, her grand entrance ignored only by the the ticket seller, Gajeel could tell she was not the kind of girl that made a habit of frequenting public transport. Hazel eyes settled on him from across the room as the woman finally registered that she wasn’t the only one there. Her delicate brow pulled upwards to her hairline as she appraised him.

 

The recognition hit him like a freight train as he held the gaze. He had seen her before. Would know the curious coloring of molten honey and periwinkle anywhere. In fact, one of the last stories he’d actually been able to write had been about the very hotel empire she would one day inherit.

 

Levy McGarden.

 

Heiress to the Magnolia Hotel dynasty that made her one of the wealthiest women in the country. Wealthy enough to be able to travel in other ways aside from a dingy bus. Interesting.

 

_Now there may be a story_ , he thought to himself as he stood up from his seat and made his way towards her. Levy’s eyes narrowed as she watched him make his way over, walking with over exaggerated confidence before dropping himself into the seat just to the left of her. The air about her was expectant as she waited for him to say something as she steeled herself for whatever it was he might say. When he didn’t say anything, her gaze hardened to a glare. Time stretched between them as she waited, only making her grow more visibly irritated with each passing second. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop the grin that threatened to crack his lips wide.

 

“Can I help you?” She asked finally, her voice bell like as she broke the silence first. For added effect, Gajeel looked around before he turned his attention fully towards her, pressing as hand to his chest.

 

“Me?” He asked innocently.

 

“You are the only you I could be speaking to,” Levy deadpanned as she crossed her arms over her own chest. Her mouth turned downward in a scowl as she shifted so she was pressed into the opposite side of her seat. 

 

“Nope. I was actually wondering if I could help you out.” He watched as she processed his words, her stare filled with nothing but distrust as she waited for him to elaborate, while he waited for her to prompt him to answer. Another sigh danced between them.

 

“What do you mean, help me?” Levy’s eyebrow arched dangerously.

 

“You seem to be lost,” Gajeel said casually, his tone as flippant as he could make it as he led her carefully towards his inevitable victory.

 

“Lost?” 

 

“I mean, I never thought I’d ever see a McGarden at a bus station.” All of the color drained from her face as her eyes widened, staring at the journalist as her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. _Checkmate_. 

 

“Now, I imagine there’s a story here,” he continued, not allowing her the opportunity to find a retort. “So I was thinking we could strike a deal. I assume you don’t quite know how to work the bus system, so I’ll help you get to where you’re going, and you give a struggling journalist the story that led you here.”

 

Silence filled the lobby as they held each others gazes. His, lit by the confidence of having the advantage. Hers, colored by disbelieving disdain.

 

“And if I refuse?” She finally asked, voice hardened by 

 

“Well something tells me if you’re here, you don’t want to be found. And I know just about everyone that would be looking for you.” It was a slight bluff. Gajeel didn’t actually have any contact for her father. The man was insistent on keep his number out of the hands of the media. But he did know a couple people who could eventually get the information to him. Her glare could cut diamonds as it bore into him, her scowl deepening as she considered her options. 

 

“Fine.”

 

The single word was a curt thing, made entirely of cut glass that sought to tear his skin. It seemed that Levy had claws hidden behind the demure mask she was known for wearing.

 

“Excellent,” Gajeel said with a smile as sharp as her tone. “All we need now is this destination of yours and some tickets.”

 

Another voice answered him, the spotted teen’s voice bored as he finally tore his gaze from his phone to look at the duo in the lobby.

 

“You guys know that the last bus for the day left like, an hour ago right?” 

 

It was with that disinterested tone that the small victory he had felt was swept from him. Gajeel rolled his eyes upwards, not bothering to even look at the short woman beside him as she groaned loudly at the news.

 

_Of course it had._

 

***

 

_He only wants you for the fortune you’ll inherit._

 

Her father’s words continued to echo in her mind, spurring her first from the hotel that they were at and then to the bus station just on the outskirts of the small town. Levy had known he wouldn’t approve of her and Erik’s engagement. He hadn’t even approved of their dating, constantly telling her that her then boyfriend was nothing but a fortune hunter that couldn’t be trusted. If she didn’t love Erik so much, she might have stayed with him anyway if only because her father disapproved so vehemently. 

 

But she did love him, a fact that had been made all too apparent when he’d dropped down to one knee one sunny afternoon and finally asked her to marry him. It was the happiest moment of her life, even if it was overshadowed by the fact he had to head back to the city later that evening and she had to go with her father down south for business. Then her father decided to remind her just how against the union he was.

 

_He only wants you for the fortune you’ll inherit._

 

_I’ll prove you wrong, father. I’ll get to him one way or another, and I’ll do it without your money and you’ll see._

 

_You are a foolish girl._

 

_I’ll prove you wrong._

 

Levy’s plan consisted of three very simple steps: get to the bus station, ride a bus to the city, find her fiancé. It should have been a breeze, the hardest part being choosing between which bus to take, yet something went wrong. 

 

That something wrong being a no good, rotten journalist with a nose for a story and the ability to ruin all of her plans. 

 

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Levy asked from where she was now perched atop a short wooden fence. Her eyes were hawklike as she watched the stranger— _Gajeel_ , she reminded herself— standing on the side of the road with his arm held out and his thumb up. It had been almost two hours since they’d left the station after learning that there wouldn’t be another bus until the next afternoon, spurring the journalist to proclaim he knew how they could get going. From where she sat, it seemed he lied.

 

“Yes, Shrimp,” he huffed, not bothering to turn back and look at her as he continued to stare out at the road. She could only imagine that he was willing some sort of vehicle to materialize before them, if only to protect his ego that took another hit with each passing car. It might have been funny if it didn’t mean another lost opportunity for her to finally get started on her journey to Erik. In the distance, Levy could see the inky silhouette of a truck driving towards them. Silently she made a wager with herself over whether or not the vehicle would stop for the man. If the past 16 cars were any indication, it wouldn’t.

 

“It’s hitch hiking. You probably don’t know anything about it, being a princess and all."

 

Honestly, Gajeel was an insufferable man. Armed with an angry scowl and a worn leather jacket, he reminded her of an angry old man trapped in the body of a 25-year-old. She knew the journalist’s name. In fact, she’d loved reading his articles for how in-depth and articulate he was. The love for his craft had come through in the words, carrying the research he’d done and shaping it into stories that were award winning. Levy had made it a point to buy each paper that had a piece of his as the headline, up until that headline had been about an investigation into how her father had come into his fortune. 

 

It was one thing for her to question her father’s ways, it was another entirely for someone else to do it.

 

“Heiress, actually,” she muttered as she watched the truck barrel by, the wind from its speed blowing Gajeel’s wild hair around his shoulders. The sound of his cursing was drowned out by the roar of the vehicle as it continued down the road and away from them.

 

“From the looks of it, you don’t quite know anything about it either.”

 

Her words earned her a loud grunt and a cold glare as Gajeel spun on his heel to face her. 

 

“Then why don’t ya give it a try, Short Stack.” Levy shouldn’t have found herself smiling at the overtly annoyed edge in her companion’s voice. It was unfair to laugh at the man’s misfortune, especially since he was helping her get to Erik. Granted, he was only helping because he wanted something, but it wasn’t like it had been the first time someone had come into her life for the sake of gaining something. 

 

The left corner of her mouth betrayed her as it pulled upwards.

 

“Don’t mind if I do.”

 

Hopping down lightly, she made her way towards where he stood watching her with a weary expression. 

 

“Go sit down,” she said as she patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll get us a ride.”

 

The next 15 minutes were the longest of Levy’s life as she waited for the next car that would come by, and hopefully stop. She wasn’t a very prideful person, but there was something about the wild haired man and his untamed eyes that made her want nothing more than to beat him at this small game they were playing. Gajeel’s stare was almost as hot as the sun above as it bore into her back, neither of them saying anything as they both waited in thick silence. A bead of sweat dripped from her hairline and rolled lazily down her neck as she stared into the horizon, looking for any sign of life.

 

She was close to caving and breaking the quiet when she’d finally seen the distinct shadow of another truck coming over the hill. _Perfect._

 

Slowly, Levy ran both her hands through her hair, gathering the blue strands into the clutch of her left so that it exposed the long line of her neck to the road. Once it was all gathered, she used her free hand to pull down the shoulder of her blouse so that the expanse of her skin was bared. Leaning her weight to one side so that her hip jutted out just so, she waited until she could hear the roar of the motor before she added the final touch.

 

With a barely there smile, she leant her head back just slightly as she began to fan at her skin.

 

Gajeel snorted behind her as she assumed her position, the sound filled with disbelief at her audacity for thinking that was all it would take. He clearly didn’t know the power of a little bit of skin. Almost as if to prove her point, the sound of the truck’s engine grew impossibly loud as it drew close before it began to fade into a gentle purr as it rolled up next to her.

 

“You lookin’ for a ride, doll?” A thickly accented voice asked through the open window. Her smile was genuine as she dropped her hair and stood straight, imagining the look that must have been etched across Gajeel’s face as he watched the exchange.

 

_Levy- 1, Gajeel- 0_ , she thought to herself wickedly as she walked towards the truck.

 

“Me and my friend her were hoping we could hitch a ride with you to the next town,” Levy said, aware that her voice was smug and loud enough for the journalist to hear. “Or at least as close as you can get us.”

 

The man, who was pleasant enough, agreed to take them to the next town over, with the only stipulation being that the pair ride in the bed of the truck. Levy had not seen an issue with the arrangement, and Gajeel didn’t get a say. Within just a few minutes of the man stopping, they found themselves sat amongst leftover hay and gardening tools with the air whipping through their hair.

 

“No thank you?” She asked once their ride had picked up speed. Her gaze was trained on Gajeel as he kept his own locked onto the landscape around them. A very small part of her purred in contentment over the displeased pout that had turned his features downward.

 

“Thanks,” he said gruffly, not bothering to look at her as he spoke. If she hadn’t been waiting to hear his response, she might have missed the words entirely as they were whipped away with the wind. 

 

“And here I thought you were supposed to be helping me.” Levy kept her voice light and teasing as she attempted to goad a response out of him, if only so she could revel in her victory for just a few minutes more. Gajeel may have agreed to help her, and she may have agreed to give him a story, but she never agreed to make it easy. _That can be his story_ , she thought to herself as she watched his onyx hair fly around his shoulders, _Levy McGarden is a sore winner_.

 

“Very funny, Shrimp.” His voice said it was anything but.

 

“I’m serious,” she continued as she tied her hair up to keep it out of her face. “Maybe I don’t need you after all. Can keep my story all to myself.”

 

The garnet of his eyes flashed as quick as a sword stroke from the scenery towards her in a barely perceptible glance. It was such a fast movement, she almost didn’t see the worry that softened them from the hard rubies they’d been that entire afternoon to silk sheets.

 

“It was just beginner’s luck,” he grumbled.

 

“Maybe.” It was her turn to shrug as she leant further back into the wall of the truck bed. “But I’m sure I still could have managed. Contrary to what you may have heard, I’m pretty self-sufficient.”

 

Waiting for a biting response that didn’t come, she pressed further in search of some answers of her own.

 

“What I want to know is why you’re so adamant about helping me.”

 

Gajeel’s sigh was heavy as he finally turned his full attention on her, its intensity sending a shiver dancing down her spine.

 

“Do I need a reason to want a good story?”

 

It was Levy’s turn to pause as she leveled him with her own gaze, ignoring the way her skin was erupting with a long line of goosebumps. She should drop the subject now and just play the hand she’d been dealt. There was nothing but danger in trying to untangle the twisted reasoning for the journalist’s help, especially with the way her heart had started to rattle her ribcage. Levy should be throwing up guards of her own.

 

Instead, she opted to lower her defenses. _It’s for the sake of getting what I want_ , she told herself, ignoring a small voice in the back of her mind that suggested ulterior motives to her thoughts. 

 

“I’ve read your work, Gajeel, I know you have a never-ending supply of good stories.” She allowed her voice to grow soft as she spoke as if she was trying to coax a wild animal closer. “Compared to some of them, mine is hardly worthy of all this work.” 

 

The minutes felt like hours as she waited for a reply that she wasn’t even sure would come as he carefully scrutinized her. His gaze could level fields as he attempted to read the very thoughts in her head, making his decision on whether he could trust her with the truth of his intentions. She almost gave up waiting when she saw the line of his tensed shoulders slacken.

 

“Recently, writing has been,” he paused again, as he searched for the right word. “Difficult.” Gajeel’s studded brows pulled together as he spoke, almost as if the realization was coming to him as he revealed it to her.

 

“I haven’t had any inspiration in awhile and it seems I have found the end of my editor’s patience.” 

 

Whatever Levy had thought he would say, that wasn’t it. She’d been ready to hear that he was a headline hungry journalist, ready to pick her life apart for recognition. Would have been ready to accept that he was just opportunistic. Even would have suspected he was just a sadist who happened to make her his next victim. Levy had absolutely not expected for him to have an actual, human reasoning. 

 

Gajeel turned his attention back to the fields the whizzed by them as if he could no longer speak as he looked at her. She didn’t miss the way his hand fisted over his knee as he continued, trying to settle back into an air of indifference to cover up the piece of himself he’d just given her.

 

“If I don’t find my next story, I get to kiss my job goodbye.” His voice was filled with so much more than the careful nonchalance he tried to exude as he shrugged. She also didn’t miss the way his lips twitched downward, or how a distant sadness darkened the red of his eyes. 

 

Levy didn’t feel bad for him. At least, that’s what she told herself as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her gaze flickered from the flat expanse of land that whizzed by in a blur of various shades of green to find his face. For the first time, she allowed herself to really see him. She noticed the way his jaw was set as if he was constantly waiting to hear bad news, and the severe crimson of his eyes that seemed to see everything as he looked out around them, only missing the way she stared at him now. There was no denying that he was handsome. Handsome in the same way a jungle cat was: nice to look at, but ready to tear any that came too close to shreds.

 

No, Levy couldn’t feel bad for someone that was so hard and abrasive, knowing all too well that that behavior was what most likely got him into the spot his was in now. Yet, the sadness in his eyes as he’d spoken of losing his job had been something she had known on an intimate level. She understood loss, and loneliness, her own demons crying out as they recognized their brethren in the ruby of his stare. 

 

She swallowed down the small stutter of her heart as his gaze met hers before she could tear it away. The land around them stretched on forever in a darkening sea of shadows as the sun set, the truck driving them to the first stop on their journey.

 

Once she was certain he’d averted his own stare, Levy let her gaze flicker back towards his face and ignored the way her insides filled with fire.

 

_It was going to be a long ride._

 

***


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRIIIIIIIISE! Did you expect Part 2?! Wow, neither did I lol But the inspo came and lord knows, you do not ignore the inspo lol Anyway, I am so sorry again that your prompt had been cut into two parts. And even more sorry it took this long to get it completed? ANYWAY, I hope I did it justice, and that it was worth the wait!

_“So what exactly are you trying to get to, Shortstack.”  
_ _“What?”  
_ _“You’re clearly trying to get to something. What is it?”  
_ _“I’m trying to get to my fiancé.”  
_ _“Oh.”  
_ _“Are you okay, Gajeel?”  
_ _“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”_

***

The past three days had gone by in a blur of cramped cars, suffocating heat and scathing banter that blistered almost as hotly as the black top of the freeway under the sun. Gajeel had learned that the heiress was more than just a vapid child born with a silver spoon in her mouth, instead gifted with a silver tongue that cut straight through the skin and bone and down to his heart. The worst of learning that she had a brilliant mind, was how she’d managed to pull conversation out of him that he hadn’t even realized he’d been capable of anymore. Since losing his words, he’d been unable to hold proper discussions, feeling like he was only repeating himself and the many things he’d ever felt over and over again. But with Levy, it just flowed, even if it was disguised in the form of biting wit and scalding cynicism.

At some point between state lines, backseats and the space she put between the syllables of his name, he started to really notice her.

As the sun had been setting over the horizon on that first evening, he’d noticed the way the dying light had colored her cheeks with its faded pink hue, casting an ethereal glow over her lily petal skin.

During the morning, he’d noticed the way she spoke wistfully about books, telling the many tales she’d read with the same passion of a caged bird singing about the freedom it had never truly experience.

It was in the afternoon as she’d stared out the window at the passing landscape that he noticed how her hazel eyes were trapped somewhere between molten bronze and golden honey.

Gajeel wasn’t exactly certain at what point he’d realized how truly beautiful she was. Sure, before he had known she was pretty. Levy McGarden was the famed heiress of the Magnolia Hotel dynasty. Widely regarded as one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Fiore, just about everyone knew about the bluenette, and they all knew just how lovely she was.

But this was different.

When he had seen her in the bus station, her eyes bright and her hair slightly askew from the wind outside, he hadn’t felt the tug in his chest that he felt now when he caught her smiling to herself while she read on the hotel bed. It felt a lot like his heart had decided it wanted to hammer against the confines of his ribcage in a vain attempt to make an imprint of itself in the bone. Swallowing the dull ache down, he grabbed the new clothes he’d picked up at the store.

“You need the bathroom, Shrimp?” Gajeel asked as he walked towards it and the first shower either of them had seen since they’d begun their journey. They’d both had silently agreed to ignore the fact that neither of them had smelled to great by the time they’d finally settled into a hotel. His gaze shifted over her as he waited for her response, which came in the form of a small shake of her head, barely looking up from the book she had opened before her.

It was only a matter of time before he had the shower turned on full blast, the spray heated to the point of pain as it began to fill the room and his confused thoughts with steam.

 _I’m trying to get to my fiancé_.

Levy’s words spun angrily in his head as he climbed into the stinging stream of water. Her  _fiancé_. The admission had come shortly after his own about his job, almost as if she had been trying to offer him some solace in the form of traded secrets. If only she had known that instead, she’d landed a perfectly aimed arrow that had landed between the spaces of his ribs and found its mark deep within the beating muscle of his flesh.

 _Fiancé_.

It hadn’t even made sense when the word had fallen from her mouth like a stone. As a closely watched figure, he would have known if an announcement had been made about her engagement. Hell, he would have been the one to write the announcement in the paper, most likely using it to tear apart her father in some form or another. That was his job, after all. But he hadn’t seen any. Not in his paper, or any other. Which had only meant that the man she was engaged to didn’t have her father’s blessing.

Didn’t deserve her.

 _No_ , he thought darkly as he shook his head, splashing water against the tile of the shower.  _I’m the one that doesn’t deserve her_.

There was a sort of dark humor, Gajeel thought, to be found in this insidious beast curling its way deep in his gut as it rolled the word around in its claws, its green eyes boring holes in the hardened stone of it.

 _Fiancé_.

He knew the name of the monster. Had felt it stirring since the fateful moment she had unveiled her truth to him. It was the kind of thing that destroyed men. Would eat them from the inside out until there was nothing left.

Such a sinful, dangerous thing, jealousy.

What made it worse, was that he didn’t even have any right to the emotion. Envy was a right reserved for those with some kind of claim, and Gajeel had no claim on Levy’s heart. How could he? They had known each other for just a few days.

Yet, he could help but think of the bright spark that glowed deep in her sun touched eyes when she looked up at him with a coy smile and sharp wit on her lips. It was a look meant for someone else, but he filed it away anyway, capturing mental snapshots of the bluenette as if it might ease the already expanding hole in his chest when she was gone.

 _She isn’t yours_ , the beast sneered as it dragged a sharp talon against the grain of the stone.  _She won’t ever be_.

Dropping his forehead against the tile, Gajeel grit his teeth as a growl tried to wiggle its way through the spaces of his teeth.

He knew, dammit. God did he know she wouldn’t ever be his. But that did nothing to placate the ever present fire of want scorching turning his insides to ash. It blew across the insides of his chest, making its way up his throat and scattered its bitter taste along the back of his tongue.

Desire, and need, and everything Levy was had consumed him so quickly, he didn’t even have time to try and get away.

And now, he was making a futile effort to put out the flames with the rapidly cooling spray of the shower’s water.

Sighing loudly into the quiet bathroom, Gajeel finally switched the shower off as he grabbed one of the hotel’s plain towels hanging just on the other side of the curtain. Drying himself quickly with all the mundaneness of the task, he let his mind wander back to the woman on the other side of the door.

He would have to let her go. Tomorrow they would finally reach their destination, and they would part ways. Levy would inevitably thank him for his help, even after she had helped him more than he could have ever done for her. She would probably offer him that soft smile that held every light he had ever known, and then she would leave. Head back to the man that she’d given her heart to to forget him and their journey, the handful of days nothing more than a few pages of the story of her life.

Sure, they would most likely speak again for the story but— Gajeel pulled a sharp breath in as he began to dress himself— it wouldn’t be the same. His heart hammered as he thought about the way they would speak, all warm familiarity gone and instead replaced with cool civility.

As soon as Levy returned to her life, he would return to his, only now he would be touched with the looming presence of What If.

 _What if_ , he didn’t let her go.

 _What if_ , they hadn’t met at a bus station.

 _What if_ , their deal didn’t hang like a sword above their head.

It didn’t matter. She was headed to her fiancé, and he was headed towards the salvation of his work.

Tossing the used towel on the floor, Gajeel made his way to the door, silently vowing to bar the roiling feelings that were twisting his gut into knots.

 _She isn’t mine_ , he affirmed to the angry beast as it curled in on itself.

“Gajeel,” a small voice whispered, pulling him from the depths of his thoughts and crashing him back down to earth as he turned his attentions to the bed. Levy lay diagonally across the bed, her head cushioned by a folded arm pressed into a pillow as she slept. Next to her lay her book, abandoned atop the sheets, left open to the page she’d been on when sleep had won.

She was the picture of serenity as she cuddled further into her arm, lips parted with the dissipating sound of his name.

Heat broke over his chest as he looked over her, struck again by her beauty.

 _I’m trying to get to my fiancé_.

Carefully stepping towards the bed as to not wake her, Gajeel picked up the book, moving her bookmark to the page before shutting it and pressing it to the nightstand.

 _She isn’t mine_ , he reminded himself as he gently pulled the blanket that had pooled around her waist up to Levy’s chin. Throwing one last look at her, swathed in moonlight that lit the halo of her hair a gleaming shade of cerulean, Gajeel made his way to the couch pushed against the opposite wall.

Dropping down on its thin cushioning, he sighed again, laying into the embrace of the aged couch. Tomorrow, they would end their journey.

Tomorrow, Levy would be home.

Yawning loudly, Gajeel turned onto his side, folding his arms over his chest as he let sleep roll over him like a heavy blanket.

 _She isn’t mine_ , he thought as he let his eyes fall shut.  _But god, do I wish she were_.

***

The city was a gleaming jungle of concrete and chrome as they walked through the streets. People surrounded them, perfectly consumed in the quickly paced nature of their own lives, as they kept to the sidewalk. Cars drove quickly by, the sound of them deafening as they kicked up trash and leaves with the force of their constant movement.

It was exactly as Levy had remembered it. In all its glory, it was as a city should be. Dirty, and busy, and easy to get lost in. That had been its appeal, and had been what she’d been yearning for from the very moment she’d left her father to reach Erik.

And yet, it felt wrong.

At some point in the journey, the fizzling excitement that had fueled her the entire way had devolved into something much more heated, and dark. Something that felt an awful lot like awful anticipation.

All of her enthusiasm had found itself diverted  from the maroon haired man waiting for her, to the one that she’d woken up to that morning, his snores loud from where he’d taken up camp on the opposite end of the room. Seeing him, with the sunlight cut a bright light over his features as he’d remained soundly asleep, had sent a spasm through her chest that was unlike anything she’d ever felt.

It was the kind of feeling reserved for profound first meetings. For special connections made.

For lovers.

Not, for travel companions that had a penchant for blackmail.

 _But that isn’t what he is anymore, is he?_  A small voice snarked at her as she worked to keep placing one foot in front of the other.

Even she had to admit to herself that he wasn’t anymore. At some point in the past few days, between state lines, backseats and the spaces between his wisecracks, Gajeel had worked his way under her skin. He’d become a friend.

 _Friend_ , she scoffed at herself, shaking the bitterness of the word from her head as she looked up at the man. The sun settled in his dark hair, highlighting it with its warmth as it basked in its wild waves. Levy allowed herself to trace the outline of his profile, from the arch of his brows, down over the sharp point of his nose, and over the perfectly sculpted bow of his lips. Her gaze faltered there for just a moment as she stared at the scowl that turned his mouth downward.

Just yesterday, she had seen those very same lips split in a bright smile that had crinkled the corners of his eyes as he’d laughed at something she’d said.

Another spasm ricocheted across her chest.

Since they’d set out that morning from the hotel, Gajeel had been uncharacteristically quiet, all his previous laughter nothing but past echoes as they’d hopped another ride into the city. Even after she’d attempted her best at jokes— “I’m sure you’re excited to get me out of your hair, huh?”— he’d still remained quiet, not once taking the bait.

She’d finally given up, settling into the silence as if it wasn’t cultivating the strange, roiling emotion that was eating away at her insides.

It wasn’t right, this feeling. She should have felt joy. Each step they took brought her closer to her destination. Brought her closer to Erik. This was the whole point, wasn’t it?

Hadn’t she left with the sole purpose of reaching him? To fall into his awaiting arms and prove her father wrong?

If that was the case, why didn’t she feel it?

_Why aren’t I happy?_

The pool of aching dread only continued to churn as they rounded the corner, turning onto their final street. Just ahead of them, standing proudly in the light of the day, was the shining glass front of Erik’s build.

In the mirrored surface of the building’s front, she saw nothing but open sky.

Levy could almost feel the way Gajeel tensed as he saw it as well, his fist clenching at his sides as they drew closer. Even as they stopped before it, all she could focus on was the white of his knuckles as the skin was pulled tight over the bone.

 _This is all wrong_ , she thought as she looked up at the building. Erik was up there, waiting for her. She should be happy.

_Why aren’t I happy?_

“So this is it, huh, Short Stack?” Gajeel’s voice was husky with an unknown emotion pulling her attentions to him. The smile that pushed the corners of his mouth upwards looked almost as forced as the one she wore.

Regret tasted particularly acrid on her tongue.

“Yeah, I guess this is my stop,” she said, voice sounding breathless, even to her own ears.

_Why aren’t I happy?_

Whistling lowly, Gajeel looked back at the building, eyes tracking its glass as if he was searching for something. Or maybe that was her own wishful thinking.

“It looks like a nice place.” It was. One of the nicest. Levy still remembered the awe she had felt when she’d first visited Erik at his condo. The view had taken her breath away, just like the first kiss they had shared on his patio, looking out over it. In that moment, it had been everything. She had been truly happy.

_Why aren’t I happy?_

“Yeah,” Levy said lamely, voice flat. She felt the hole in her chest as it widened, pulling all that she was into it. It ached and for just a moment, she wondered if this was what everyone meant by heartache.

Crimson met her honeyed gaze as Gajeel turned back to her, expression soft as he looked at her, sending a thrill into the growing abyss behind her sternum. A lump began to swell in her throat as she thrust her hand out into the space between them.

“Thank you. For all your help,” she said around the knot, swallowing it down as he took her hand in an amicable shake.

“I hereby grant you permission to use my story,” she smiled, ignoring the sting at the corners of her eyes. “If you need any quotes, you can call me anytime.”

Levy felt his hand tighten just before she was pulled into him, her body meeting his as he wrapped his arms around her. Heat enveloped her as she returned the gesture, her fingers curling into the fabric at his back as if she could keep him there.

Her fiancé was just upstairs. He was so close.

_Why aren’t I happy?_

“It’s okay, Levy,” Gajeel whispered into her hair as she nuzzled her nose into his chest. Pine and mint filled her senses as she breathed him in. A single tear lazily rolled down the bridge of her nose, before tracing down the tip and dotting the fabric of his shirt.

“I don’t want the story if it means raking your name through mud.”

As quick as it had come, the warmth of him disappeared as he pulled away, leaving her head spinning with the sudden loss. Instead, he looked down at her now, offering solace in the form of a small smile that didn’t quite touch his eyes.

“Anytime you need help hitch hiking anywhere, let me know.” And then, he was gone. Turning on his heel, Gajeel continued to follow the sidewalk towards the crosswalk.

Levy watched his back as he disappeared into the crowd, her breathing became painfully loud as the hollow ache consumed her.

She was happy. She knew she was. After her fight with her father, and after all the work to get there, she was finally going to see Erik. Levy was finally going to prove her father wrong, and be with the man she loved.

Levy was happy.

 _But it wasn’t enough_.

“Don’t go.” The words slipped, unbidden from her lips as she stared into the crowd that had swallowed Gajeel’s frame. A few curious faces turned to look at her as she repeated the command, voice rising through the din of the tears that were falling freely now.

He couldn’t go. Not now. Not after the way he’d shown her everything she’d been missing. Not after he had awakened a fire within her.

Not after he had shown her freedom.

Gajeel couldn’t go yet.

She wouldn’t let him.

“Gajeel!” Levy finally cried, launching herself forward and just narrowly missing a man before her. The man hissed something as she passed, but it was drowned out by the sound of her pulse in her ears, beating a steady beat for her feet to keep in time.

 _Don’t go_.

Pushing through people and ignoring the shouts and glares, Levy’s feet carried her faster than they’d ever done before as her shoes slapped loudly against the concrete.

_Don’t go._

Not understanding the feeling that was thrumming her veins with all the same ferocity of jet fuel, Levy scanned the crowd for the one person she desperately wanted to find. Somehow, with his quick tongue and his brusque personality, Gajeel had worked his way under her skin, showing her that just being happy wasn’t enough.

Nothing had been wrong with Levy’s life. She loved Erik. She loved her father. She loved her life. But it wasn’t enough.

God, but Gajeel would be enough.

In the distance, she caught sight of unruly black hair.

“Gajeel!” She tried again as she willed her legs to move quicker, breath burning in her throat as she pushed herself forward. Even from where she was, she could see the way his shoulder’s tensed and his step faltered, before he came to a stop.

Turning slowly, Gajeel fixed a wide eyed stare on her, surprise turning his features into a near comical caricature of himself. If she wasn’t so out of breath, she might have even laughed at the way his mouth has formed a soundless o.

Slowing her pace, Levy continued to walk forward, shoulders heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Watching him as he painted her with the crimson of his stare, she stopped just a few feet in front of him.

“Levy?” His voice was filled with trepidation, almost as if he didn’t believe it could be her. Hope pricked the darkness in her chest with its bright light as she looked him over.

With a defiant gleam in her eye and a widened stance, Levy threw her arm out and thrust her thumb upwards as she looked over him.

“What are you doing?” Gajeel asked, the corner of his mouth quirking upward over his sharpened canine in a way that said he already knew. Returning the smile, Levy took a few more steps forward, holding his gaze as she did.

“I was hoping,” she paused only once she stood in his space, looking up at him, “I could hitch a ride with you for awhile.”

Heat and electricity ran over her skin as his grin widened before he leant down, closing the distance between them. Lips meeting hers with a burning tenderness that ate away at the ache that’d nearly consumed her, Gajeel crushed her closer to him as his hands found her hair. Breathing into the kiss, Levy grasped at his shirt, anchoring him to her as she pressed everything she needed to say to his lips.

It wasn’t until a low laugh bubbled between them, that Gajeel pulled away, joy brightening his features as he finally spoke.

“Yeah,” he soothed, leaning in once more to chase his final words. “I think I’d like that.”

***************************


End file.
